Table 5. Reason Given for Declining
to Prosecute Civil Rights Referrals
Fiscal Years 2000 - 2004 (1st Quarter)

Reason Given	Fiscal Year					Total	Percent
	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Total Prosecutions Declined	2,550	2,484	2,135	1,702	307	9,178	100.0
	1	-	-	-	-	1	0.0
Agency request	58	82	58	85	20	303	3.3
All work completed	-	2	-	-	-	2	0.0
Civil, admin or other disciplinary alternatives	49	40	42	18	1	150	1.6
Declined per instructions from DOJ	357	423	413	286	40	1,519	16.6
Defendant similarly charged in subsequent instrument	2	7	3	-	-	12	0.1
Department Policy	7	10	3	1	-	21	0.2
Dism: by govt from District Court w/ DOJ authorization	1	-	-	7	-	8	0.1
Dism: by govt from Magistrate Court w/ DOJ authorization	1	-	-	-	-	1	0.0
Jurisdiction or venue problems	8	5	6	6	2	27	0.3
Juvenile suspect	8	5	2	1	-	16	0.2
Lack of evidence of criminal intent	453	529	348	276	62	1,668	18.2
Lack of investigative resources	-	24	8	14	5	51	0.6
Lack of prosecutive resources	12	11	22	24	5	74	0.8
Local Agency Referral Presented by Federal Agency	2	-	-	1	-	3	0.0
Minimal federal interest or no deterrent value	91	42	15	13	5	166	1.8
No federal offense evident	331	177	219	163	18	908	9.9
No known suspect	97	67	67	37	5	273	3.0
Offenders age, health, prior record, or personal matter	2	14	-	3	-	19	0.2
Office policy	6	31	12	14	2	65	0.7
Petite policy	4	1	5	10	4	24	0.3
Pretrial diversion completed	-	1	2	3	-	6	0.1
Rule 40	2	2	1	-	1	6	0.1
Staleness	18	2	1	10	5	36	0.4
Statute of Limitations	68	62	34	22	1	187	2.0
Suspect being prosecuted on other charges (e.g., UFAPs)	8	9	3	1	-	21	0.2
Suspect deceased	2	8	3	-	1	14	0.2
Suspect serving sentence	3	-	9	1	-	13	0.1
Suspect to be prosecuted by other authorities	97	99	85	74	13	368	4.0
Suspects cooperation	1	3	-	-	-	4	0.0
Weak or insufficient admissible evidence	748	796	750	606	114	3,014	32.8
Witness problems	113	32	24	25	3	197	2.1
joinder with defendants in another case (District Court)	-	-	-	1	-	1	0.0